Frictional seat or lid holder



April 24, 1956 D. PHILLIPS 2,742,649

FRICTIONAL SEAT OR LID HOLDER Filed Jan. 28, 1952 I as /or JQv/d @i/'as United States PatentO FRICTIONAL SEAT OR LID HOLDER David Phillips, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Swedish Crucible Steel Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application January 28, 1952, Serial No. 268,543

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-240) This invention relates to detents and in particular, to frictional detents.

One object of this invention is to provide a frictional hinge detent adapted to frictionallyengage the hinge pin of a vertically swinging closure, such as a seat, lid or cover and hold it in any position against the force of gravity.

Anothenobject is to provide a frictional hinge detent of the foregoing character which is of compact construction so that it can be accommodated in the limited space available rearwardly of the hinge pins in the rearward extension of a toilet seat, yet which will exert a powerful frictional grip upon the hinge pin.

Another object is to provide a frictional hinge detent of the foregoing character wherein the frictional grip ping power can be easily adjusted, yet wherein the adjustment retains its adjusted position without variation over a long period of time.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toilet seat hinged to a toilet bowl and equipped with a frictional hinge detent, according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section through the hinge pin and frictional hinge detent of this invention,

' taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4. l v

Hitherto,-it has been considered desirable to be able to hold a vertically swinging toilet seat in any desired position and thereby overcome the effect of the force of gravity upon it. At the same time, it has also been considered desirable to prevent such seats from rattling when subjected to'vibration, such as when they are installed in a train or airplane. Due to the limited space available in the rearward extension of a toilet seat, however, and also due to the construction of such seats, it has up to this time been dilficult to provide a device which will satisfactorily hold the toiletseat in any position and which will meet the necessary requirements as to comsprings 36 are substantially Without elfect upon the fricpactness and inconspicuousness of appearance in its installed position. I

The present invention provides a frictional hinge detent which engages the hinge pin of the toilet seat with a powerful frictional grip which maintains its force substantially without variation over a long period of time, yet which is easily adjusted to vary the force or to take up any diminution in gripping effect over a long period of time.

Referring to the drawing in detail, Figures 1 and 2 show a frictional hinge detent device, generally designated 10, according to one form of the invention, as applied to the hinge posts 11 of a toilet seat 12 which is thereby hingedly mounted on the rearward platform or bowl extension 13 of a toilet bowl 14. The toilet seat 12 and toilet bowl 14 and hinge posts 11 are of conventional construction and their details lie outside the scope of the present invention. Stated briefly, the hinge posts 11 face in opposite directions toward one another and carry inwardly-facing horizontal hinge pins 16 by which the toilet seat 12 is hingedly supported on the toilet bowl 14. The hinge posts 11 have vertical shanks 17 which extend downward through holes 18 in the toilet bowl extension or platform 13 and are held in position by washers 19 and nuts 20 threaded on the lower end portions 21'of the shanks 17.

The hinge pins 16 extend into horizontal bores or sockets 22 in the rearward seat extension 23 of the toilet seat 12, and pass through bearing bushings 24 seated in counterbores 25 at the mouths of the bores or sockets 22 (Figure 4). The. toilet seat extension 23 has side surfaces 26 whichlie close to the vertical surfaces 27 on the hinge post heads 15 surrounding the hinge pins 16.

The toilet seat extension 23 is provided with a pair of detent bores or sockets 28 extending inwardly from the rearward end 29 thereof and crossing the hinge pin bores or sockets 22 approximately midway of their length. Mounted in each detent bore or socket 28 is an approximately cylindrical detent housing 30 in the form of a short rod snugly fitting the bore 28 and having a hole or bore 31 extending transversely therethrough in align ment with the hinge pin 16 and of substantially the same diameter as the hinge pin with the necessary clearance for free pivot action. vided with a longitudinal bore 32 (Figure 4) intersecting the transverse bore 31 and terminating at its outer end in an internally-threaded portion 33.

Reciprocably mounted in the bore 32 is a friction plunger or detent member 34 having at its forward end a partially cylindrical contact surface 35 of substantially the same but opposite curvature as the hinge pin 16 and frictionally engaging the latter. The plunger 34 may be of any suitable material having frictional characteristics and desirable wearing qualities, a brass plunger hinge pins of hard brass composition. Mounted in the bore 32 behind the frictional detent plunger 34 is a stiff I helical spring 36 engaging the rearward'end'37 of the plunger 34. Threaded into the threaded mouth 33 of the longitudinal bore 32 is a headless set screw or screw plug 38 having the usual wrench socket 39 of hexagonal or other suitable cross-section, and having its forward end 40 serving as an abutment for the rearward end of the spring 36. In place of the helical spring 35, a sulficiently stiff splitv spring washer may be substituted, to urge the frictional detent plunger 34 against the hinge pin 16.v

In assembling the toilet seat hinge and detent, the set screws 38 are either unscrewed to the point where the tional detent plungers 34 or are temporarily removed The detent housing is proin their entirety so that the hinge pins 16 may be inserted through the bushing bores 41 (Figure 4) and transverse detent housing bores 31 without interference from the plungers 34. When the hinge posts have been pushed into their desired positions (Figure 4), their shanks 17 are then inserted through the holes 13 in the toilet bowl extension or platform 13 and secured in position by tightening the nuts 20 upon their threaded lower ends 21 (Figures 1 and 3). The plumber or other person installing the toilet seat then inserts the frictional detent plungers 34, springs 36 and set screws 38 in their respective bores 32 and 33, if these are not already in position. By means of a suitable wrench inserted in the wrench sockets 39, he then screws the set screws 38 inward, tightening the thrust of the springs 36 upon the frictional detent plungers 34 and forcing these into frictional engagement with the hinge pins 16. While he tightens the set screws 38 with one hand, he swings the seat 12 up and down slowly in order to test the holding effect of the hinge detents 10. When the latter exert a sufiiciently powerful grip to hold the seat 12 in any position of tilt, the adjustment has been completed and the operator withdraws the set screw wrench from the socket 39 in which it is inserted.

In the use and operation of the device, the seat 12 may be swung upward to the dotted line position (Figure l) or to any interminate position by the user. The seat, however, will not fall down because the friction devices 10, by frictionally engaging the hinge pins 16, hold the seat in its raised position or in any partially raised position. At the same time, the frictional grip exerted by the sprng-urged frictional detent plungers 34 upon the hinge pins 16 effectively dampens or prevents rattling resulting from vibration arising in a vehicle such as a train or airplane in which the seat is installed.

What I claim is:

A frictionally-sustained hinged toilet closure construction comprising a toilet closure having a pair of coaxial hinge pin bores in the opposite sides thereof and a pair of laterally-spaced parallel sockets in the rearward end thereof intersecting said bores, a pair of laterally-spaced hinge brackets adapted to be mounted on the toilet and having coaxial hinge pins extending toward one another into said bores and sockets, an elongated detent housing seated in each socket and having a transverse bore aligned with and snugly but pivotally receiving its respective hinge pin, each housing having a longitudinal bore intersecting its transverse bore and having a threaded entrance, a friction plunger reciprocably mounted in each longitudinal bore and having a concave partly cylindrical forward end frictionally engaging its respective hinge pin, a compression spring mounted in each longitudinal bore in resilient engagement with the rearward end of its respective friction plunger, and a screw-threaded plug mounted in the threaded entrance of said longitudinal bore in abutting engagement with the rearward end of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 449,366 Kelsey Mar. 31, 1891 1,055,346 McQuillan Mar. 11, 1913 2,069,756 Glancey Feb. 9, 1937 2,474,644 Aitcheson June 28, 1949 2,500,594 Young Mar. 14, 1950 2,535,789 De Bell Dec. 26, 1950 

